#bunposts

Fenrir is son of Loki and Angrboða, brother to Hel and Jörmungandr. Fenrir is a godly wolf larger than the mountains of Jötunheim, his name translates to “he who dwells in marshes”. Fenrir is a deity for the misunderstood, for those trying to grow when others want to keep you chained down, for speaking up and courage, a god of wrath, courage, anger, and sadness, and a protector of swamps.  Please keep in mind that Fenrir was not commonly worshipped in Nordic times so most information on worshipping him is entirely UPG or SPG.

Donate to local wolf rehabilitation centers(or the Colorado one).

Use the runes Isa, Halgaz, Naudiz, or Berkana in your altar or practice.

You can use the colors, black, brown, gray, white, dark blues, and red in your altar or offerings to him.

Practice self-care, the kind that is good and specific for you, not what others tell you self-care is.

Decorate your home and altar with wolves or items/decorations that remind you of the swamp and Fenrir.

Plant juniper, yarrow, turmeric, onion, vervain, or night blooming flowers in your home garden.

Be more honest and vocal about your opinions.

Try to do a devotional act or offering on foggy, rainy days. I find strong connections to him then!

Read the stories that mention him in the Poetic + Prose Eddas; as well as the Gylfaginning, Skáldskaparmál, Háttatal, and Heimskringla.

Take a personal weekend trip to the mountains.

Light candles or incense of musk, juniper, cedarwood, mugwort, and myrrh as offerings or devotional time with him.

Take walks or hikes in forgotten places(parks, graveyards, etc.).

Help clean up or maintain those places.

Wear darker make up + accessories to honor him.

Use crystals like smoky topaz, obsidian, howite, lapis lazuli, black agate, smoky quartz, lava rock, chryscolla, or bloodstone.

Protect the vulnerable.

My mental and physical health have been in the dumps lately. I had to let go of a lot of things that I love(my business included) that mean the world to me because I couldn’t keep up with the physical and emotional demands.. I haven’t loved myself much lately but I’ve found journaling helps a lot!! So, I hope these prompts can help you learn to love yourself too!

Day One: What’s your biggest struggle with loving yourself? For example; I feel like I can never finish anything, even the things I’m good at and enjoy. I don’t love myself b/c I see myself as a failure).

Day Two: Get rid of a limiting belief that you have about yourself or your abilities.

Day Three: What’s a positive habit you want to begin this month?(i.e. washing your face every morning, starting a gratitude journal, this? would probably count lol)

Day Four: Do you struggle to accept compliments? Why do you think that is? Is there a specific one you struggle with the most?

Day Five: What is something you are proud of doing this past week?

Day Six: What do you need to forgive yourself fore?

Day Seven: Name something that you love about your personality and something you love about your body! ♡

Day Eight: When or where in your life do you need to slow down and take your time?

Day Nine: What is something in your life that you need to let go off in order to heal?

Day Ten: What can you do to set better boundaries in your life?

Day Eleven: How would you describe yourself in a loving way to a stranger?(Think about how your loved ones might talk about you!)

Day Twelve: What things make you feel happy to be alive?

Day Thirteen: What is something your younger self would be proud of you for today?

Day Fourteen: What are you afraid to ask for(in work, relationships, etc.)? What do you need to do to learn to speak up about it?

Day Fifteen: What is the most loving thing you have ever done for yourself?

Day Sixteen: Plan something loving to do for yourself when you finish these journal prompts! It could be going to Build-a-Bear, taking a bubble bath, playing your fave video game, however you express self love!

Day Seventeen: Set three short term goals for yourself and three long term goals for yourself.

Day Eighteen: What is one change you can make to increase your happiness?

Day Nineteen: In what ways are you making the world a better place?

Day Twenty: How can you give yourself a break today(mentally, physically, or emotionally?).

Day Twenty-One: What’s something you’re working on believing that you deserve?

Day Twenty-Two: What things or habits make you feel bad but you find yourself doing them anyways?

Day Twenty-Three: What does your support system look like? How can you make it stronger?

Day Twenty-Four: What’s something you wish someone would say to you?

Day Twenty-Five: What are some things you are really good at?

Day Twenty-Six: What parts of yourself do you feel you are ashamed of? How would you describe your shadow self?

Day Twenty-Seven: What’s one choice you can make right now that you future self will be grateful for?

Day Twenty-Eight: Who do you look up too or who inspires you? What qualities do you share with them?

Day Twenty-Nine: What words or beliefs do you want to live your life by?

Day Thirty: What labels(negative, positive, and neutral) do you assign yourself?

Day Thirty-One: Going forward what can you do to commit to loving yourself everyday?

This was one of my biggest issues for years so I thought I would share how I've come to grow past it! You're not alone in feeling defensive(even when you don't want too), it's a common reaction but hopefully this post will help! ☀️❄️

To work on reducing defensive behavior when communicating with someone, start with identifying your triggers and learning to control your emotions. What are you feeling and where do you feel it in your body? Is your heart racing? Is your body tense? Is your mind trying to come up with a counter attack?

Take some time to practice deep breathing! 💌 This counteracts the flight or fight response by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. It also allows you to slow down your racing mind and respond in a more effective manner . ⠀⠀

Give yourself some time. Wait before you react or say anything. Allow the adrenaline to go down and gather your thoughts. Let the other person talk and use this time to practice slow breathing and consider how you would want to respond.

Stop retaliating immediately and genuinely try to listen to their whole perspective. Try to listen to the other person’s points and allow yourself to see where they are coming from. Distance yourself from the assumption that the other person is wrong. If you are absolutely sure the other person is wrong, there is still a way to explain your side without completely dismissing the other person’s perspective.

Learn how to take critiscm. It's not necessarily a bad thing. One strategy is to see criticism as a sign of the other person’s belief in your abilities. Instead of taking it personally, strategize how you can benefit from it. If you don’t believe the criticism to be true or constructive, simply thank the person and walk away.

Gerðr is daughter to Gymir and Aurboða, wife to Freyr, queen of Alfheim, honorary ásynjur. Gerðr means “enclosure,” she is considered a goddess of gardens, fertility, fruitfullness, and  protecting crops. She symbolizes the frozen earth, which is warmed by the sun at the coming of spring, and then which is plowed and made fertile for the growing season(historian Hilda Ellis Davidson  compared her to the likes of Persephone). In Heathen tradition, we are said to be descended from the gods, Gerð and Freyr are said to be the parents of human dynasties in Sweden. Gerðr is attested to in the Poetic and Prose Eddas, and Heimskringla. She is also attested to in archaeological artifacts.

Use the runes Ehwaz, Othala, or Algiz in your altar or practice.

Leave your window or blinds open on a sunny winter day and appreciate how the sun looks reflecting off snow.

Plant flowers or bushes in your garden that aid pollinators(bergamot, aster, marigold, sage, basil, geranium, lavender, etc.).

Read her stories in the Poetic and Prose Eddas, and Heimskringla.

Go for a hike in the winter or early spring!

Help build enclosures and fences for you local community garden, your neighbors garden, whoever needs help! 

If able, keep a small (alive)plant in your home.

Believe in yourself and your value!! Freyr gave up the sword that could’ve won the Aesir Ragnarok for Gerðr. Don’t settle for less than you deserve.

Give aid to those who have lost children through their choice or not.

Honor her for the jötunn she is, not just as honorary ásynjur.

Use the colors white, brown, green, or gold on your altar or offering(I’ve found she’s also a big fan of soft blues +greens).

In the winter, decorate your home with dried flowers.

Practice loving yourself!

She is honored through farmlands, orchards, gardens, greenhouses, etc. if you’re like me and don’t have the land for that try Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, etc. a game that lets you design the perfect little outdoor world for her!

Volunteer at your local nature reserve or community garden.

Wear scents or oils that are floral or make you feel confident!

Use the crystals petalite, moonstone, blue chalcedony, sugilite, snow quartz, snowflake obsidian, or selenite in your altar or practice.

Norwegian pancakes are one of my favorites to make year round but once October rolls around and I've got honey and fresh pumpkin..♡ In the fall I make these most often for the vættir and álfar, though you could just make them cause their tasty!

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

6 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or lemon zest, w/e you prefer

3 cups whole milk

4 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan

1 cup ricotta

1-4 tablespoons honey (to taste)

2 teaspoons pumpkin filling

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, eggs, salt, sugar and cinnamon or lemon zest until it makes kind of a thick yellow mixture.

Slowly, whisk in the milk to make a smooth batter. Allow it to rest at room temperature for half an hour.

Turn your stove onto medium-high heat. Mix the butter into your batter, right before cooking(this is important!!)

Melt a bit of butter in your pan, then pour in a ladle full of batter and swirl it around to coat the bottom of the pan. It should be about the thickness of a crepe or just slightly thicker(as thick as a piece of craft/construction paper).

Cook for about 2 minutes, until the under side has turned golden brown and the top is beginning to set. Then flip it (this can be tricky and the first one gets ruined pretty often - don't be disheartened!), and cook the other side for just a minute. Transfer to a serving plate.

Grease the pan with a little more butter and continue frying up the batter until it is all used. You should use pretty high heat the whole time, but if the pancakes start burning and the pan starts smoking, you should adjust the heat down a bit.